Tom - did you end up drinking any of the Alesmith beer, or were they all dedicated to the dough? I've gotten Alesmith a couple of times (to drink) and am yet to be impressed by it. Maybe I need to give them another try?

Tom - did you end up drinking any of the Alesmith beer, or were they all dedicated to the dough? I've gotten Alesmith a couple of times (to drink) and am yet to be impressed by it. Maybe I need to give them another try?

Hi SquirrelFlight,

I pick a beer based on suggestions by the beer stores and sometimes by the ratings chart that the store has posted below the bottles. I try to never go over the $20 a pint range. (Although, I have my eye on a $34.95 Pint of beer.) There are some fantastic beers out there in the $5 to $10 a pint range. It is fun to try different styles of beer and especially those that are unique or hard to find. Sometimes people complain on this forum about a high end or limited release beer being used in dough instead of being consumed. I have learned to take the comments with a grain of sea salt. I like to use quality products and I think high end beer makes a difference in the flavor of the dough and texture. Sometimes, even a beer that i can't really enjoy, because i am not used to that beer's particular taste and style, produces an outstanding pizza dough. Beers can really surprise you!!! Again cooking with high end ingredients makes a difference, despite what some may say. Making dough has introduced me to a whole world of great beers and has allowed me to try beers that I never would have tried before.

In response to your question, the beer is dedicated to the dough, but i will taste a sip first and then often drink what is left over. The AleSmith beer has been good. The AleSmith ESB is a favorite of one of the beer store owners. It came highly recommended. You might consider giving it another try. I like what an ESB style beer can do for pizza dough. Also, I know a Pizzeria owner that even brews ESB style beer to be specifically used in dough making at his Pizzeria. Hope that helps.

In closing, IMO, this forum has been about learning from each other and seeing new creative ideas to pizza making. If you look at my early posts in this thread, you will see that i didn't even know how to make pizza dough. Now i have fun doing so.

I have been using Pizzaiolo for quite some time. I purchase it at Costco Business Center for $4.23 a can. It has a fantastic taste all by itself. Recently, I have been experimenting with mixing half Pizzaiolo and half 7/11 because I noticed that some Pizzerias do this. However, I am going back to using straight Pizzaiolo again. It has the taste that I like the best.

I purchased the Grande cheese from a Pizzeria friend. The current price was 2.69 a lb, a 5 pound bag cost me $13.45. I don't always go Grande, but it has been a while since I had it. I also love the Whole Milk Mozzarella by Bella Rosano. It is priced better and I can buy it anytime.

I am not sure where you live, but the Costco Business Centers are not everywhere like the regular Costco's and they have different products than a regular Costco. I do not think you will find the 6 pound block of Bella Rosano cheese, Pizzaiolo, or the Pendleton Flours in your Costco. Of course, you could talk to the Costco warehouse manager where you shop and request that it be brought in. However, the regular Costco has an amazing deli section. You can get lost in all the cheese selections that they offer. It's GREAT!!! It would be worth checking it out if you have not been to Costco lately.

Thanks again for more good info Tom. This now explains why I could never find products mentioned here at my local Costco. I'm in NC and it definitely is not a Costco Business Center....I'm still going to go back there and see what they have these days.

Made dough tonight with this beer. Purchased it at Total Wine & More and they describe this beer as: Special release. New York- Belgian Strong Pale Ale- 8.5% ABV. Duvel Rustica is a richly flavorful & aromatic brew with the depth and complexity of the finest Belgian ales. It blends the perfect balance of fine malts and noble hops then undergoes fermentation with Ommegang's proprietary yeast. Limited/Rotating Release.

I have had good results with Belgian Style Beers in pizza dough making, so I am giving this one a try. I like what I see.

I ran into a minor problem tonight in my dough making process. Once I finished with the Kitchen Aid Hook and made three 12 oz dough balls, I realized that I did not have any one gallon freezer bags to put my dough into for the 24 hour minimum cold rise. So, i coated the dough balls with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and ran to the store. Normally, they go right into the fridge. By the time I got back from the store, 40 minutes had passed and the dough balls sat on the counter. It appeared that either they expanded out a little bit or they raised up a little. I am hoping this will not negatively affect the dough rise process that I am used to. Not sure if this will hurt the dough?

I ran into a minor problem tonight in my dough making process. Once I finished with the Kitchen Aid Hook and made three 12 oz dough balls, I realized that I did not have any one gallon freezer bags to put my dough into for the 24 hour minimum cold rise. So, i coated the dough balls with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and ran to the store. Normally, they go right into the fridge. By the time I got back from the store, 40 minutes had passed and the dough balls sat on the counter. It appeared that either they expanded out a little bit or they raised up a little. I am hoping this will not negatively affect the dough rise process that I am used to. Not sure if this will hurt the dough?

Anyone have any thoughts or advice on this???

Tom,

You should be OK. However, your dough balls may be ready to use a bit sooner than normal because they got a head start on fermenting while on the counter. The degree of change will depend on the room temperature while the dough balls were sitting on the counter and the ability of your refrigerator to cool them down (the expansion of the dough balls through gas production makes them act like insulators).

I must say that I have always been happy when I use a Belgian-Style Beer in the dough making process. This style of Beer works very well, adds good flavor and texture, and does not discolor the dough either. The only down side is that the good Belgian-Style Beers are usually very expensive.

Made pizza tonight with the dough made with the Ommegang Duvel Rustica Belgian-Style Golden Ale. I only gave it a 24 cold rise since people wanted pizza now. I am very impressed with the dough. Easy to work with, great texture, and very flavorful. I will definitely use this beer again sometime in the future. The Belgian Style Beers produce a great pizza dough.

I opened a fresh can of Pizzaiolo to use on my Ommegang Duvel Rustica Belgian-Style Golden Ale pizza dough. This time I did not mix it with 7/11. Just straight out of the can since it has an amazing flavor that I recommend to anyone who loves pizza.

I had a request for a vegetarian pizza, so I used what vegetables that I had on hand. I sauteed them in a pan but still chose to put them on top of the cheese instead of under. (425 degrees for 15 minutes)

Red OnionMushroomsGarlicZucchiniRed Bell PepperSea SaltBlack pepper

Grande Mozzarella CheeseA pinch of shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese than has been aged over 24 months